The End of Legends' Slumber
by sindrisilverleaf
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy wants nothing more than to leave behind the troubles of his last school year. With O.W.L.s approaching and his parents fighting he has enough to handle. What's more, mysterious disappearances across the Wizarding World threaten to end the era of peace. Scorpius will need to put his trust in new friends if he hopes to navigate the oncoming darkness.


The warming sun tingled against Scorpius's bare forearms. Anticipating another scorching afternoon, he'd rolled his sleeves up past his elbows. No one seemed to have told the sun, but summer was drawing to a close. Everyday more students poured into Diagon Alley for new cauldrons and quills and salamander eyes. Scorpius liked to watch them, especially the incoming first years who wandered the alley with their mouths agape, clutching their supply lists.

Of course, Scorpius had picked up his own supplies for his impending fifth year a week ago when he and his parents arrived in London. His mother had planned—without informing him or his father, no less—to remodel the whole house and the project was scheduled to last until the beginning of September. Scorpius half suspected he wouldn't have found out his mother's intentions until they reached the Leaky Cauldron if he hadn't woken up the morning the builders arrived to the sounds of his parents screaming in the corridor outside his door.

"It's an embarrassment, Draco! I can't show my face around the girls at the club. Our kitchen belongs to the Dark Ages! Your mother agrees. She suggested the remodel. She suggested the trip to London."

"Personally, Astoria, I don't care what the people at the club say. You already updated the kitchen a year ago. You don't need to tear apart the house again. Leave my mother out of this."

"FIVE years ago, Draco. If you cared at all about your own family, then you would know that it was five years ago!"

"Astoria, enough."

From his room, Scorpius heard his mother's shrieks turn to sobs. "Draco, I know about Pansy."

His father fell silent. "Astoria, it's not what you—," he began after what felt like an eternity to Scorpius. "It was lunch with an old friend. It was only lunch."

"Then why did you hide it, Draco?"

All three of them left home within the hour, but since then he hadn't heard his parents speak a word to each other. His father left early every morning for work while his mother spent the afternoons swanning around the city with her friends. As for Scorpius, he avoided the both of them. Conversations with Dad meant forcing small talk about quidditch, which grew increasingly awkward when his father began dropping hints that he would be proud if Scorpius rejoined his house team. On the other hand, if he lingered too long near his mother he was in danger of being dragged around London carrying her shopping bags. All in all, he far preferred to spend his afternoons reading his new spell books and watching the crowd at a table outside the ice cream parlor.

"Hey! Look who it is! Hey, Scorpius!" Too late Scorpius noticed a golden-headed boy across the street parting through the crowd toward him, Jarin Harte, captain of the Slytherin quidditch team. Attached at his side he wore Corinne Avery, a dark haired girl whose yellow eyes reminded Scorpius of a cat on the prowl. Last year Scorpius had given up keeping track of Jarin and Corinne's relationship. They broke up once a month and spent the next week screaming at each other over who had cheated on whom, but they always ended up together again after Slytherin won the next quidditch match.

"Harte! Avery!" Scorpius replied with false gusto, forcing a smile onto his face. He rose to his feet as they arrived at his table. "Have a good summer, then?"

Jarin threw a playful punch at his shoulder in greeting. "Brilliant. Went to Brazil in June for the International Youth Quidditch Camp and then spent most of last month in France for my sister's wedding."

"Your sister's wedding. That's right. Mum won't stop raving about it, and it was in the papers too. But Brazil-,"

"Don't get him started on Brazil," Corinne warned him sharply. "He'll never shut up about it if you do."

Scorpius offered her a strained smile. "Did you have a good summer as well then, Avery?"

"I wasn't in Brazil or France, if that's what you mean. The most exciting thing I did this summer was follow my mother around to her social engagements." Apparently Scorpius had touched on a sore nerve.

"Hey, listen, Scorp, we were just going to Quality Quidditch if you wanted to come along and talk tactics. I have some great ideas about new seeker maneuvers we could incorporate into our game."

Scorpius felt his heart drop into his stomach. He'd been anticipating this conversation all summer, but he'd counted on waiting until they got to school at least. "Look, Harte, I haven't changed my mind. I'm not rejoining the team. What happened with Ward and Stone…I won't play on a team with them."

"They didn't mean it, Scorp. I know what they did was out of order. I told them so. But we need you. It's our only chance of destroying Team Potty-Weaslebee."

"No. I'm sorry, Harte, but no. It's O.W.L year and I have enough to worry about."

"Just think about it."

Corinne rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest. If he doesn't want to play you can't make him, Jarin. And I'm bored. You promised today was for me, not for talking quidditch."

Heaving a sigh, Jarin nodded. "Fine then. I'll leave it for now, but we'll talk again. I'm not giving up on you, Scorpius."

All Scorpius could do was shrug. He watched them walk away without a word. As soon as they disappeared into the crowd, he grabbed his charms book from the table and took off in the opposite direction. The whole way back to the Leaky Cauldron he avoided eye contact with the other shoppers and he stopped only once to pick up a copy of the Prophet from a stand.

"Vanished Ministry Official Discovered Dead" the front headline read. The article continued onto page five, Scorpius noticed as he passed through the opening barrier of bricks. Before he could learn more, someone slammed hard into his shoulder, knocking the paper from his hands.

"Get out of the way, Malfoy."

Scorpius knew that voice anywhere. "Watch where you're walking, Potter."


End file.
